MIANWALI, Sept 6 The irrigation department has agreed to discharge overflowing water from the Namal lake to foil a mounting tension between the localities living along the upstream areas and downstream areas, Dawn has learnt.

The decision, however, does not satisfy the people living in the upstream areas who want a visible cut in the water level of the lake.

Unrest erupted last month when excessive monsoon rains filled the lake beyond its capacity and the overflow discharge inundated upstream north-east and south-east areas which included mauza Rikhi Kalri, Nandhi, Bhamgeranwala, Dhiba Karsal and Namal. Before the monsoon season, the lake presented the picture of drought because of the shortage of water.

The residents of the area approached the irrigation department demanding sufficient discharge of water from the lake, which is also a dam, to reduce water level in the dam.

The demand alarmed the residents of Musakhel town and surrounding villages of downstream, whose lands are irrigated by the Namal canal. They feared that increasing discharge from the Namal dam would cause the shortage of water in the Namal canal. They warned they would block traffic on Mianwali-Rawalpindi Road if the irrigation department increased the outflow.

To foil the tension, District Police Officer Rana Abdul Jabbar arranged a meeting between irrigation officials and notables of Musakhel on Saturday (Sept 4) to settle the issue. Now, the irrigation department has agreed not to release the extra water from the dam.

The residents of the upstream area, however, demand that extra water be discharged from the lake so that upstream water fill the dam.

The dam irrigates 184,651 acres of Musakhel and Mianwali through the Namal canal. The dam has a maximum storage capacity of 1,175 feet.

Faiz Muhammad, of Dhok Noor Gul, demanded that the government announce compensation for their losses and decrease water level of the lake.

Noor Khan, of Dhiba Karsal, said floods had damaged his house but the district administration seemed unmoved to drain the water. He said such floods in the Namal Lake were witnessed in 1976.

Mani Khan, of Namal, said the time was running out and the flooding might delay the next sowing season.

Soba Khan, of Musakhel, said they feared the shortage of water in the Namal canal in the coming sowing season if the department released the lake water now on the demand of people of the upstream area.

Irrigation sub-division officer Shahid Iqbal said water level would increase by one foot after a 24-hour inflow in the lake while the reduction in the water level up to one foot would take at least 10 days.

He said the department was aware of the problems of affected people though a majority of them had encroached upon the lake area. Social circles of the district demanded that affected people be looked after and their sufferings be addressed on a priority basis.